The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
It is known in the art that, non-self watering planters often require daily attention to check soil moisture and water as needed. If is also common for under and overwater to occur when the plants are not checked often enough of if too much water is given. Several self-water planters and devices exist, but most do not adequately regulate the amount of water that is given to a plant. Wick systems tend to allow the soil to remain very wet when the reservoir is full and dry when the liquid in the reservoir runs low. Several self-water planters operate based on a vacuum, but they tend to lead to overwatering. When the filling reservoir cap is removed to fill the reservoir, water runs uncontrollable into the soil. Also typically, they rely on soil saturation to stop the flow of water.
Typically, plants typically require feeding or watering or otherwise supplementing with liquid nutrition at least once weekly to survive. This may be accomplished by using a passive wicking system. A passive wicking system is a form of hydroponics that uses at least two or more wicks to transport nutrient solution or water from the reservoir into the growing medium and to the roots via capillary action such that plants are fed from the bottom up.
It is known that many self-watering, plant feeding assembly and systems incorporating wicking technology have been developed, but such assembly and systems are not specifically designed for simple, convenient, and economical use due to their complex construction, and are not easily adaptable to an existing plant reservoir or medium. It would thus be desirable to have an improved automated, top dripping and bottom wicking assembly and system for feeding or watering plants and the like, which avoids the disadvantages of the known assembly and systems.
Other proposals have involved hydroponic systems and irrigation of plants. The problem with these systems is that they do not provide a uniform distribution of liquid nutrients, and thy arte expensive to manufacture and operate. Even though the above cited irrigation systems meets some of the needs of the market, a top dripping and bottom wicking assembly provides a reservoir that controllably drips liquid nutrient solution from above a plant, and also uses capillary action of a planar wick member to draw the liquid nutrient solution into a plant growing medium and plant roots is still desired.